How Marcus Ratcliffe is Leading Texas A&M's Defensive Surge

While Texas A&M had somewhat of a rough showing on defense against the UTSA Roadrunners in Week 1, safety Marcus Ratcliffe had one of the best showings of his Aggie career.

On 56 snaps, the second-highest out of A&M’s safety room, Ratcliffe earned the highest defensive grade out of the Aggies from PFF. His seven tackles, tackle for loss and two pass breakups earned him an 80.2 overall defense grade and a coverage grade of 82.0.

At the pace Ratcliffe is currently on, he is set to finish with a career-high 13 tackles for loss and 91 tackles, shattering his totals from of 3.5 and 48 from last season.

Most improved Texas A&M Aggie: Marcus Ratcliffe?

Arkansas Razorbacks punter Devin Bale (37) attempts a fake punt as Texas A&M Aggies defensive back Marcus Ratcliffe (3) makes the tackle during the second half at AT&T Stadium. | Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

Following Texas A&M’s practice on Tuesday, Ratcliffe spoke to the media about his impressive Week 1 performance.

“I think my second year being in the SEC I feel a lot more comfortable,” Ratcliffe said. “I feel like I’m playing faster, my reads are faster.”

Last season, Texas A&M struggled to defend the run, and as the year progressed, it struggled against the pass as well. Part of A&M’s goal for 2025 was to refurbish the run game, something it struggled to do in Week 1. Ratcliffe said they focused on stopping the run in practice on Monday.

“Finishing on our running backs the right way, getting our footwork right, making sure we’re wrapping up, getting strong in our wraps, if we do all that, we’ll be fine,” Ratcliffe said.

Stopping the run against Utah State will be crucial, especially after running back Miles Davis ran for 88 yards and a touchdown in the team’s Week 1 victory over the UTEP Miners.

With Saturday’s matchup against Utah State coming up quickly, Ratcliffe detailed some of the things he has noticed about the fellow Aggies.

“They’re a good team,” Ratcliffe said. “They do a lot, formation-wise. They do a lot of shifts, trades. They’ll run some two-back, three-back, so that’s something we have to prepare for. I think communication this week is going to be at a premium, even more compared to last week just because of all the shifts and trades they do.”

The Aggies’ start to the 2025 season has put them on a track to be great. After a dominant offensive performance through the air, it looks like Texas A&M has the firepower to go toe-to-toe with any offense in the SEC and has a solid chance at making the College Football Playoff.